


You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth

by FlavorofKylo



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hand & Finger Kink, Murder Mystery, Mutual Pining, Neighbors, Oral Sex, Praise Kink, Rey is in serious denial, Romance, Sexual Tension, Suspense, naked photography
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:00:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlavorofKylo/pseuds/FlavorofKylo
Summary: Rey Jeffries is a photojournalist laid up with a broken foot during a sweltering NYC summer.   Her sweet neighbor and friend, Ben Solo, is always available to help her out, whether that means bringing her food, posing nude for a photo shoot, or helping her solve a murder.This fic is a nod to  Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window."*ON HIATUS**
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	1. Looking

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my two awesome Alpha readers, Alison and Johanna (LadyofReylo) for their amazing input! This would have been a mess without you guys!! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was a hot summer night and the beach was burning  
> there was fog crawling over the sand  
> when I listened to your heart I heard the whole world turning  
> I see the shooting stars fall through your trembling hands"*

Chelsea, New York. A hot, sticky afternoon in July, 2015.

Rey sat in her favorite chair, legs propped up in front of her on another one. Her left foot was encased in a boot, a result of her unfortunate skateboarding accident from mind-June. She had never been on a skateboard in her life, but working as a photo journalist sometimes required new things that were out of one’s comfort zone. She swore up and down that her first try at skateboarding would be her last. At the moment, she was surrounded by boxes of photos and magazines, along with her camera, sitting safely on a nearby coffee table.

From her position she had a perfect view of the courtyard beyond her apartment. As a photographer, watching people was one of her favorite things to do, and for the past five weeks she had nothing but time to sit and watch people. She was grateful, though, that said boot would finally be removed the following week. Her cell rang and she picked up on the first ring.

“Hey, you! Are you bringing my veggie burrito, or what? I’m starved.”

“Rey, why don’t you have your friendly neighborhood sex god Ben, bring you your lunch? If he was my neighbor, I’d be calling him up everyday to _feed me,_ ” she said, laughing.

“Rose, don’t be crass,” Rey chuckled. “He can’t always come by during the day. He does work, you know.”

"Hmph, you should just hire him as a full-time model and you would both be rich in no time.”

“Would you stop, please? Are you coming by or what?”

“Yes, I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. You want Chipotle?”

“Yesss, please, my dearest friend in the whole world.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll see you soon,” she sighed.

“I love you!” Rey shouted just before Rose hung up.

___________________________________________________

“It would have been nice if you mentioned that your A/C went down,” Rose grumbled.

“Mmm, yeah but I know if I had you might not have brought me lunch.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Of course, I would have. I just might have been less enthusiastic about it.”

She sighed. “I texted Ben and asked if he could stop by later and take a look at it.”

Rose grinned. “I’m sure he’ll rush right over as soon as he’s finished with whatever it is he’s doing. So, as of next week you’ll be free of the boot, huh?”

“Yeah, I’ll finally be able to get this, this….albatross from off my leg.” <[>

“An albatross is _around your neck_ ,” Rose corrected, “at least metaphorically.”

“Whatever.” Rey bit into her burrito. “This is good. Damn, I’ve been wasting way too much money ordering in. I didn’t even have breakfast today, just coffee.”

“Well, what’s Ben going to do when you go back to work and you’re not around for him to pamper?”

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure.” “Have you thought about my suggestion?”

“Which one?” Rey asked with a mouth full of burrito.

“The one where you ask that gorgeous hunk of man to pose au natural. You know, _for science_.”

Rey huffed, shaking her head. “I have, actually. It really could be relevant to the article, but I’m pretty sure he’d never go for it. He’s kind of modest for a guy. At least more than most of the guys I’ve met.”

“Oh?” Rose cocked any eyebrow at her. “That guy would do anything for you, if you asked nicely. He thinks the sun rises and sets on you.”

Rey stared at her as she took another bite. “Maybe. Not sure if I’m comfortable with it.”

“Well, it can’t hurt to ask. Sounds like it’ll be a cool article, either way.”

“I’m hoping so. I decided to interview a bunch of women to get their thoughts on what the female gaze is. I’ll interview you, if you let me.”

“Yeah, of course! Anything for you, pumpkin.”

After Rose left, Rey did some more research for her article and then took a break. There wasn’t much going on out in the courtyard today; just about everyone was, indoors with windows shut and air conditioning on. Without even a fan, the air in her apartment made her hair stick to the back of her neck and dampness pool in all of her crevices. She couldn’t wait ‘til she could ditch the crutches and take an actual shower; trying to bathe with a broken foot was such a pain in the ass. She’d ask Ben to run the bath for her later.

The heat made her drowsy and she finally fell asleep. It was a little after 6pm when she heard a key in the door and she stirred, cracking one eye open. She had given him a key during the second week after she was laid up, since he was willing to help her on a daily basis. 

The sun was lower in the sky, and the intense heat of the day had tempered back. She saw movement in the corner of her eye and turned. A large, warm hand came down to cup her face, and she forced her eyes open. Ben’s face was right in front of her; liquid, dark eyes, full lips, inches from hers. He moved closer, lips brushing hers, and then moved away, tantalizingly, landing on her cheek. He lingered there a bit longer than he need to, and Rey felt a warmth suffuse her body.

“How’s your foot?” he asked, his voice impossibly deep, like indigo velvet.

"It itches, mostly,” she said softly.

“And your stomach?”

“I could use a bite.”

“And your love life?” he smiled.

"I don’t have time for a love life,” she murmured. He stood back a bit, looking down at her with that same bemused grin.

“Can I do anything to help?”

“Yes,” she rasped. “Turn on some lights, please. What time is it?”

Ben looked slightly disappointed at her response. “A quarter past six.”

“What? Shit, I’ve been asleep for almost two hours,” she muttered. “My back is going to be fifty shades of fucked up tomorrow.”

Rey watched Ben move around the room, turning on lights, and illuminating his arresting physical presence as he did. She swallowed hard, feeling a weird tightness in her throat. There were moments that she looked at him when she was suddenly blown away by just how handsome, how incredibly sexy he was, and the crazy part was: _he didn’t seem to have any idea._

"I brought you something,” he said. “Well, actually, I brought you _two_ things…one’s a surprise.”

"A surprise?” she asked cautiously. She’d told him many times that she hated surprises, didn’t enjoy being put in the awkward position that usually came with a surprise. He smiled.

“Don’t worry, you’ll like this one.” He carried a large fan in and set it down across from her, plugging it in. “Just in case I can’t get the A/C running right away, at least you’ll have this.”

“Thanks, Ben. That’s so sweet of you. I’m melting over here. I really need to take a bath before bed, too. So if you’d run it for me, I would really appreciate it.” He stared at her and his throat bobbed.

“Sure.” When he turned the fan on, the blast of refreshing air was like an oasis.

Rey closed her eyes and smiled. “Ahhh, that feels _good._ "

She didn’t get to see the slight change in his expression, the one that showed he wanted to hear her _say that again_ , maybe breathlessly: that feels _so good_ …. preferably, when he was touching her.

Ben went to fetch a large bag from the floor by the door. He waggled his eyebrows and then disappeared into the kitchen. “Be right back.”

Rey heard some activity in the kitchen but just relaxed in her chair. She was so lucky. What would she do without him around? After a few minutes, he returned with two glasses in one hand and a bottle of wine under his arm.

“Dinner is warming up.” Rey grinned, excited.

“Really? What is it?”

He gave her a sneaky grin. “It’s a surprise, remember?”

Rey bit her lip as he opened the wine.

“So, how was your day, Big Guy?” 

“Pretty good. I finished the new dining set. It’s all reclaimed wood. I’ll take some pictures tomorrow to show you.”

“Wow, that’s awesome.”

“Did you get any more work done on your article?”

“Yeah. Well, actually it’s an essay for my women’s studies class. I’m going to use it as the basis for the article, that’ll come later."

“I thought you dropped that class?”

“No, the prof agreed to have online meetings with him once a week and as long as I turn my work in on time, I’ll still get a grade. That way I won’t lose any credits.”

“What’s it about, again?” Rey’s lip quirked up at the corner.

“Funny you should ask,” she said. “It’s on the female gaze.”

Ben regarded her with raised eyebrows and handed her a glass of wine, hastily clinking with hers. He cocked his head.

“I’ve heard the term, but I’m a little hazy on what it means. Wanna enlighten me?”

Rey took a sip and thought about how to best present the theory. “Okay. It developed from the theory of the male gaze; are you familiar with that term?”

Ben was quiet for a minute. “Yeah…the fact that most films and stories have been written from an exclusively male perspective, and that they place women’s bodies in an objectifying light… right?”

Rey jerked back, stunned by how well he had just articulated a theory that she had been studying for months.

“Yes,” Rey agreed. “The male gaze reduces the female body to objects of desire,” she recited from an article she had read.

“Okay. And how is the female gaze different?” he asked. Rey hesitated.

“Well, that’s what I’m going to explore in my research. But the prevailing theory is that the female gaze is cooperative and inclusive, rather than objectifying."

“Interesting. Yeah, that makes sense, but I don’t know if it’s that simple. I mean, there might be more to it than that."/p>

She smiled. “You know, Ben Solo, sometimes you really surprise me,” she murmured.

Ben smirked. “That’s ‘cause you’re always underestimating me.”

“I do not,” she bit out, a little too quicky. Noting her defensiveness, Ben’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, maybe I do, sometimes. Sorry,” she huffed.

He shook it off; it was one of his most well-developed talents.

“So anyway, what about the female gaze?”

“Well, I want to interview a number of women of different ages and backgrounds, to get their ideas on what the female gaze is, and how it has shifted over the past ten years.”

“Interesting idea. What about men?”

“What about them?”

“Are you going to interview any?”

  
“Hadn’t really thought about it,” she said slowly. “

Might be good to include a male perspective, no?”

Rey huffed. “That’s exactly the point. Our cultural narrative has always been dictated by men in this country. It’s time to hear women’s voices. That’s exactly why I’m writing this thing.”

“I get that. But you never know, there might be a guy out there who would offer something worthwhile for your article.” He shrugged. “It’s just a thought.”

“Are you saying _you’d_ like to be interviewed, Ben?” 

“Not necessarily. I mean, I’d do it, if you wanted me to. Your call, of course.”

“Well, as a matter of fact,” Rey started, “I was going to ask if you to contribute….” She bit her lip. “Would you pose for me again? For the article? I need a male subject to represent the female gaze, and you’d be just about perfect.”

“Sure, Rey. You know I don’t mind posing for you. I’ll even do it for free.” He grinned. 

“No, I’ll pay you.”

  
“You don't need to."

“Well…you haven’t heard all the terms. This is different…you might not want to do it.”

“Different how?”

"Well...you'd be nude.”

She quickly picked up her glass and drank in an effort to mask her nerves. Ben’s mouth dropped open and he started to say something and then stopped. His beautiful dark eyes flashed with amusement and he laughed, a low rumble deep in his chest. The sound sent a little thrill through Rey’s body.

“Well…hmm yes, that _would_ be different,” he smirked, noting the light blush on Rey’s cheeks.

“Yeah. Rose suggested I ask you, but I told her you probably wouldn’t want to.”

Ben stared at her for a long, intense moment. “You’re so cute when you blush,” he said, his voice thick. Rey swallowed nervously. _Oh, god why did she let Rose talk her into this?_

“I’ll do it,” he said softly. “If it’s what you want.” His throat bobbed. “Anything for you, Rey.”

With one glance into his eyes, Rey saw that he was speaking in earnest; there was nothing flip or ironic in his answer at all. She thought maybe Rose was right: he might do anything for her. The thought was a little unnerving, and she shook it off.

“Wow… great. Thanks, Benji.”

Ben smiled, warmth spreading through his chest. He loved when she called him that: _Benji._ No one else did.

“So, when did you want to do this?”

Rey shrugged. “I dunno, hadn’t really thought that far ahead. But I’d like to have everything ready before the beginning of September. I mean, if you have time, we could do it this week, right here. I mean, when you’re not working or busy with other projects. You just let me know when is good for you.”

Ben stared at the floor for a long moment, and then his gaze shifted back to her. “Okay,” he said.

“You know, it’s not like you have to be fully nude…I mean, I wouldn’t show your junk or anything. It would be like a professional shoot, you know. Artistic.”

Ben laughed. “Did you just refer to a part of my body as ‘junk’?” Rey colored again, and Ben had to fight the urge to kiss her. She was just so damn _cute_ when she was embarrassed.

___________

Ben's surprise was a seafood paella from Naboo Paella bar, and it was amazing. He knew Rey loved seafood of all kinds, but she rarely splurged on it. “This is amazing, Ben. You’re so thoughtful. Such a good friend.”

Ben winced a little at the word. _Friend_. He sighed. “I try.”

“You’ve been so great these past few weeks, I wish there was something I could do for you.”

She looked over at him; his eyes were huge. He didn’t say anything. Rey turned to look out the window across the courtyard, but Ben’s eyes stayed on her.

“If there’s ever anything you need from me, I want you to tell me, okay?” she said.

Ben continued to stare at her, but Rey’s attention was drawn to one window in particular that had its shades up. Beyond, in a dimly lit room, a woman lay in bed and calling for her husband. She could see him through the living room window, and he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go to her. Rey ‘s brow furrowed; she was disturbed by the husband’s lack of care. Shouldn’t he be more concerned?

Ben’s attention still focused on Rey, as he struggled to get the words out that he’d been wanting to tell her for weeks. “Rey, I…” he scratched at the stubble on his chin. “I’d like to be more than friends.”

Rey didn’t hear him. “It’s so sad,” she said.

Ben sighed. “What is?”

“That couple over there. She’s bedridden and her husband doesn’t seem very concerned. He always seems to be focused on something else.”

Ben turned his attention to the window across the way for the first time, following Rey’s gaze.

“That one? Directly across?”

“Yeah. It’s always like this. I’ve seen things over the past several weeks. And that is just…sad.” Ben stared through the window for a few moments, looking at both the wife and the husband.

Rey,” he said. “Soon this will be over and things can go back to normal for you. I don’t think it’s healthy for you to be sitting here watching your neighbors night and day.”

She flashed him an irritated glanced.

“It’s not like I’m _stalking_ them, Ben, it’s just…..I’m curious.”

At that moment, she realized that her ongoing surveillance could be considered stalking, except of course she had no nefarious intentions. “I get tired of goddamn twitter and youtube and all of that shit. Sometimes it’s more interesting to just watch real people.”

Ben cut her off. “I know that, I just think it’s…..” he sighed. “You should be focused on your own life and getting to where you want to be. You deserve that.”

She nodded absently, still watching across the courtyard.

“And you deserve someone who will be there with you, to support you, through all of it," he said. Hearing his words gave her pause. She hesitated and then turned to look at him.

“Ben, I appreciate that…and I know what you’re saying. But I just don’t…I don’t know. My life is—”

Ben held up a hand to silence her. “Yes, I know, your life is crazy. It’s getting a little late, I should get home. Need to do laundry. Do you want me to run you a bath before I leave?" 

“Oh….no, I didn’t _mean_ ….” The words died in her throat. Ben waited for her to finish, eyebrows raised, but she choked on the words.

“I’ll run your bath,” he said. Rey sighed. 


	2. Being Seen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm trying to speak but no matter what I do  
> I just can't seem to make any sound
> 
> And then you took the words right out of my mouth  
> Oh, it must have been while you were kissing me"

Rey’s apartment. 2:30 am. 

  
Rey had fallen asleep in the chair again, against her better judgement and Rose’s advice. She knew it was a bad idea, and she meant to get to the bed, but she’d drifted off after Ben left, in a bit of a sulk. She would apologize to him tomorrow, try to explain again. He was so good to her, a real friend. She couldn’t imagine how she would have managed these past five weeks without him and Rose.

  
Thunder rumbled and the skies opened, shrouding the courtyard in a downpour. Rey woke suddenly, eyes adjusting to the darkness as she scanned the courtyard. Most of the apartments were dark except for two. The young musician was still up, sitting at his piano, working on a new piece, no doubt. The only other light came from the apartment directly across from hers, where the bedridden woman lived with her negligent husband. The bedroom light was out, but she could see the man in the kitchen, putting on his raincoat and hat and carrying a large suitcase. Where could he possibly be going, in the middle of the night in the pouring rain? And when his wife was ill? 

  
Rey sat up for a little longer, pondering the mystery but her thoughts eventually returned to Ben. She knew he had feelings for her, but she didn’t want to entertain the possibility of them becoming anything else—too damn scary. Her last serious relationship had been years ago, back in college, and it had ended disastrously when her boyfriend cheated on her. Since then, there had been nothing more than some casual dates, and she always broke things off as soon as they started to get more intense. In any case, none of those men really seemed right for her anyway. 

  
It wasn’t until she met Ben that she felt she might actually be able to really trust a man. In the year and a half since she moved into the building and met him, he had always been there for her, anytime she needed him. She knew he wanted more, but she didn’t want to risk ruining something that worked so well by trying to make it romantic. And she really needed to focus on her career, focus on getting herself straightened out. Having a man in the picture would just make it harder. At least, that's what she told herself.

She dozed off again, thinking about the way he had stared earlier when she asked him about posing nude. The heat in his gaze made her stomach somersault. He had the sexiest smile, and those hands….god. She had often thought about the wonderful things he could build with hands like his, so large and powerful, and yet, she knew instinctively, sensitive. The thought of his hands on her body invaded her mind as she drifted back to sleep.

  
In her dream, she was lying naked on her bed. Ben was sitting beside her, eyes roaming over her slowly. He set one of those powerful hands, so warm, on her belly and held it there. 

  
“You don’t know how beautiful you are,” he said softly. His hands began to wander over her slowly, reverently. Down her shoulders, over her beasts, across her hips. He grazed over her sex but did not linger; Rey flinched but found she was hungry for more. He looked into her eyes as though he was looking into her soul.

  
“I could make you happy,” he murmured, cupping her cheek with one hand. The other hand was resting on her taut stomach again, pressing down just a little. She felt the heat of his hand sinking into her, reaching deep inside, to her core. 

  
“You just have to say the word,” he continued in his silky voice, fingers trailing lightly along her bikini line. 

  
Rey woke suddenly in her chair, breath catching in her throat. She was covered in sweat; her t-shirt was damp, even her panties. She felt a heat between her legs that she knew wasn’t from the air temperature alone, and she shuddered. Damn. She couldn’t stop seeing his beautiful, dark eyes, burned into her mind. 

___________________________________________________________

  
“I emailed you the interview questions, so just send them back to me whenever you have the chance.”

  
“Aye, aye, captain,” Rose said, unwrapping her sandwich.

  
“Did you finish reading the Mulvey article?”

  
Rose raised an eyebrow. “It was a bit dense to push through, so… I cheated. I looked it up on Wikipedia.” She giggled.

  
Rey shook her head but she was smiling. “Oh, boy. Well, at least you got a feel for it."

.   
"It’s interesting,” Rose said. “That the idea comes from a patriarchal society. But are we still considered a patriarchal society?” 

  
“Well, less than in the past, certainly. But so many of those ideas are internalized in us.” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  
“Well, on to more important things,” Rose sighed. “You asked him, and what was the verdict? As if I didn't know.” 

  
“He said yes.”

  
“You know…..”Rose said smugly, “I don’t want to be the one to say, ‘told ya so, but….’” She grinned. “So when is this magical occurrence going to happen?”

  
“Not sure yet. Hopefully one evening this week. He’ll let me know.”

  
“Mm, mm, mm, I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that,” Rose said.

  
Rey rolled her eyes at her friend. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” 

  
Her phone sounded. “Ah. Speak of the devil,” she said. “He sent some photos of the furniture he’s been working on.” She glanced at them, raising her eyebrows.

“Very nice," she said, passing the phone to Rose.

  
Rose looked at Ben’s handiwork and her eyes widened.

  
“Wow,” she said.

  
“Yeah, I know.” Rey nodded. “He has amazing hands.”

  
Rose quirked an eyebrow at her friend. “You mean, you finally noticed?”

_________________________________________________

  
Ben showed up around 5:30, as he had most every day since her accident. He was wearing a pressed, light blue, button-down with tight black jeans and dress shoes. A tan fedora sat on his head. From the moment he walked in, Rey was self-conscious. Usually, she was relaxed around him, but after the _dream…_

  
“Yo, baby,” Ben called from the hallway. 

  
“Hey, Benji.” She glanced at him. “Why are you all dressed up? Great hat.” 

  
“Yeah, you like?” he grinned. He plucked the hat off and set it down on the coffee table. “By the way, your A/C needs a part, I ordered it for you.”

  
“Wow. Thanks,” she said.

  
“I met with the buyers today to show them the finished work, so I always go a little dressier. What did you think of the pictures?”

She locked eyes with him. “Your work is amazing, Ben. As always. Rose was really impressed,too.

  
He preened at her praise. “Thanks,” he said, voice like dark chocolate. “Are you hungry? I was thinking we could order some Chinese, maybe?”

  
Rey hesitated. “Well, Rose brought me a sandwich a couple of hours ago, but….” she bit her lip. “I could eat.” 

  
He smiled. “I knew you’d be hungry. I’ll get the menus .” 

  
Rey closed her eyes and sucked in air. Why did she feel like she'd been hit by a semi truck carrying liquid desire? She took a deep breath and sipped from her water bottle. It’s Ben… just _Ben._ she told herself. 

  
Ten minutes later, when Chinese food had been ordered, he looked at her expectantly.

  
“Soo…are we doing this, or what?”

  
She caught her breath. “I’m sorry….?”

  
He rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you want to do a photo shoot?”

“Tonight?”

  
“Yeah, why not tonight? Unless you have something more important to do?” he smirked. 

"Like, _right now? "_

"Food won't be here for at least thirty minutes," he said. "I say go for it."

  
She had no reason to argue.

  
“Uh, okay…sure. We’ll need a little more light. And I only have one roll of film," she mumbled.

  
Ben looked around the room. “How about if I move the lamp…..would that help?”  
  
“Probably, yeah,” she murmured. Ben moved the floor lamp closer to her chair “We can do a few test shots.”  


He started to casually unbutton his shirt, eyes on the floor. Rey felt her throat tighten. Suddenly nervous, she picked up her camera and started to fiddle with it, unable to look at him. She adjusted her F-stop and then tried looking at him through the lens. Once removed. Safer that way.

  
Ben stood looking back at her. She’d never seen him without a shirt. His torso was long and pale, smooth as marble, almost hairless. She didn’t like when guys were too pumped, but he wasn’t like that; just beautifully defined, with a flat belly and thick arms. She looked at his small pink-brown nipples and had the sudden urge to flick her tongue over them. _Fuck._

  
“Is that an SLR?”

  
“I’m sorry?”

  
If he noticed her drooling, he didn’t show it. “SLR camera?”

“It’s a hybrid.”

  
He nodded. He just stood there for another long moment, watching her watch him. Then a small smile of amusement crept up, and she knew he could see right through her. 

“What do you want me to do?”  


“Umm…” she cleared her throat. “Just walk around a bit, maybe sit on the couch. Help me move closer.”

  
He pushed the chair, Rey and all, until it was about two feet closer to the couch.

  
“Better?”

  
“Yes, thanks. Just….do whatever you feel like,” she said.

  
She started snapping photos while Ben tried a series of poses, like a model in a Sears catalog. He started hamming it up, with exaggerated smiles and fake laughs. Rey chuckled.

  
“Just be natural, Ben.”

  
“Hang on a second, I’m gonna get a drink. Want something?”

“A glass of wine would be great.” He disappeared into the kitchen and she took another deep breath. It’s just Ben.

  
He reappeared in the doorway, a glass of wine in each hand, and Rey’s eyes followed as he moved towards her. He held out the glass to her. “Thanks,” she said.

  
He nodded. They sipped their wine in silence for a few moments, tension hanging in the air like a thick fog. 

  
“Nothing like a cold glass of white wine on a hot summer night,” he said.

  
Rey laughed softly, suddenly realizing he was nervous, too. 

  
She smiled up at him, pupils engulfing her amber-green eyes. Her eyes drifted down to his hands and she swallowed. 

  
“Your hands,” she said thickly.

  
He held out a palm and looked down at them.

  
“What about them?”

  
“Nothing, they’re just ….so _big.”_

  
Ben chuckled. “Yeah, well I am 6’3”, so…y’know.”

  
Rey nodded slowly. “Umm...why don’t you stretch out on the couch there?”

  
“Okay. Did you want me to take off the rest of my clothes?”

  
Rey flushed. “Sure, if you’re comfortable…"

”  
He grinned. “I thought that was the whole point of this?” She could only nod and then…

  
_Uh oh._

He unbuckled his belt first, and then reached for the button of his jeans, his eyes boring into hers. Rey looked away, heat sparking deep inside her. 

  
“It’s okay,” he huffed. “You can watch.” 

  
“No, that’s—uh, just tell me when you’re all arranged.” She kept her eyes down, the sound of fabric rustling told her what was happening

.   
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it all figured out,” he continued, his voice filling the space between them. He kept talking, maybe to make Rey more comfortable, or maybe himself—maybe both. She stared down at the camera in her hand while he rattled on. 

  
“Hey, remember that scene in Titanic where Rose says to Jack”—he mimicked a female voice-- “’I want you to paint me like one of your French girls, wearing this. Wearing _only_ this.’” He laughed softly. 

  
Rey smiled down at her camera. “I do remember that. One of the best scenes in the movie. I’m surprised _you_ remember it.”

  
“Yeah, well…..I’m kind of a sucker for a good romantic movie. Don’t let that get around, though. Okay. You can look.”

  
Rey hesitated for another moment before raising her eyes to the couch. Ben was stretched out, in all his splendor, without a stitch of clothing. He had placed the fedora artfully over his crotch. To Rey’s eyes, the entire picture was both sweetly comical and very erotic. 

  
She smiled. “Well, that’s just perfect,” she said.

  
Ben grinned his adorable crooked grin and she started snapping away. She took several full-body shots, doing her best to get different angles from her chair, before zooming in on his face. She took a few of his striking profile and then a few straight on, both smiling and serious. She found the planes of his face fascinating, his long, sharp nose an arresting contrast to his full mouth; he reminded her of a beautiful, wild cat of some kind-- a lion, maybe. 

  
“Close your eyes,” she said.

After a bit, she decided to try taking some close-ups of his hand. 

  
“Shit, I didn’t know people still used actual film. Color or black and white?" he asked. 

  
“Black and white,” she said. "Always, when I can. You can concentrate on texture more.”

When she had finished the roll, she said: “Okay, I think we’re good. And I’m out of film.”

  
Ben smiled coyly. “Did you want me to remove the hat?” He was immediately rewarded with another sweet, shy smile from Rey.

“That’s not necessary.”

  
“I mean, not for the camera. Just…” he shrugged.

  
“Ben, _please,”_ she whispered.

  
The corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “Come on, aren’t you _curious?”_

  
Rey bit her lip; _of course, she was curious._ “Yeah, I mean--no.”

  
He was enjoying this far too much. 

  
“Well, which is it?” Lacing his fingers together, he lay back flat on the couch and rested his head on his hands. “Listen, I’ll close my eyes and you can take a quick look. No one will ever know except you and me.” 

  
“It’s not like I’ve never seen a man naked, you know,” she snapped, trying to sound icy but her eyes betrayed her. She kept returning to his belly, the v-shape of his hips and the line of dark hair that disappeared under the hat.

  
“Rey.” He reached his hand out towards her. She hesitated, but then took it. His hand engulfed hers, and she felt something like an electric current flowing through them, back and forth. It was only a moment, but the intimacy of it was too much for her.

  
“Get dressed, Ben,” she murmured, turning away and refocusing on her camera.

  
He stood up and got dressed slowly, watching her with a little smile. 

  
“Oh, I saw that.”

“What?” 

  
“You tried to sneak a peek, I saw. Don’t deny it,” he teased.

  
“Ben….you’re incorrigible.” 

__________________________________________________

“So, how’s the essay going?” Ben asked, forking up a big chunk of lemon chicken. They were sitting at her small dining room table.

  
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’ve been emailing people a list of interview questions.”

“I didn’t get one,” he said

.  
Rey sighed. "I’ll ask you one of the questions right now.”

“Okay, shoot.” 

  
“Do you believe there is a difference between the way women and men gaze, look at each other?”

  
He paused, swallowing a mouthful of food. 

"You mean, like all women and all men?”

“In general, yes.”

  
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I get how the male gaze objectifies women in film, but women can look at men the same way, can’t they? As objects of desire?”

  
“Yes, of course they can. It’s just not acknowledged in the same way because of patriarchy. Women have traditionally been the objects to be looked at, not the subjects to do the desiring. Men have traditionally been the ones behind the camera, and manipulating the gaze for a male viewer. I can send you the Mulvey article, if you want to read it.”

He nodded. “Sure, I’d like to. And what about that photo shoot we just did?”

“What about it?”

  
Ben rested his chin on his fist. “Well, _you're_ the photographer. Were you looking at me as an object of desire?” He blinked flirtatiously. 

Rey nearly choked on her chicken. “Ben,” she picked up her glass of water and downed it quickly.

  
He watched her patiently, amused. “Answer the question.” 

  
Rey looked flustered. “I’m not objectifying you…I see you as a whole person. But I do think you’re….I mean you’re-- good looking, obviously—"

  
He stood suddenly and closed the distance between them. His hands cradled her face as he kissed her. She was completely caught off guard, but she softened under the magical workings of his lips on hers—they were so soft. He pulled back, finally, and smiled at the dazed look on her face. 

  
“That’s my contribution to your essay,” he said, sitting down. “Not the kiss. The photos.” He grinned.

  
Rey sighed, staring back at him. “Thanks,” she murmured. 

  
“Hey. You said if there was something I wanted, I should let you know, yes?”

  
“I know, Ben.”

  
“You know _what?”_

  
“You want me to…sleep with you.”

  
He rested his chin on his fist and blinked. “Rey— _no.”_

  
“No?” She shrank back, confused.

“No, that’s not what I was going to say. I mean, _yes,_ I want to sleep with you. Well...make love to you. But I want more than that.”

Rey lowered her eyes. “Oh….?”

  
“When your boot is off, will you take a weekend drive with me up to my grandmother’s house upstate? There are horses up there. I want to take you riding.”

  
“I’ve never been on a horse in my life, Ben,” she said.

  
“That’s okay. First time for everything.” He tilted his head. “Can we do that?”

“Separate rooms?” 

"Anything you want, Rey."   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I wanted to incorporate elements of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" with a sweet story about Ben and Rey. This is a lot lighter than most of the stuff I've written of late, even with the murder mystery as a backdrop. Chapter 3 will get deeper into the mystery as well as the developing attraction between Rey and Ben. I love comments, so please share any thoughts or questions you might have!! Thank you! xx
> 
> "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)", Jim Steinman. Meatloaf, Bat Out of Hell, 1977


End file.
